Welcome Home, Foutley
by Samantha J. Mulder
Summary: (As Told By Ginger) Follow up to the "Foutley's on Ice" movie. Ginger comes home to the people that mean the most to her


A/n: Well howdy! Those of you who know me may be asking what am I, Samantha J. Mulder, master of randomness, anime and all things X-Files, doing writing _As Told By Ginger_ fan fiction. Well, I have good reasons: 1) I really like _As Told By Ginger, I think it's a neat show with great characters 2) It was 4 AM and this just seemed to appear in my head out of nowhere while I was working on an XF thingy 3) I'm quite sad that there isn't Ginger section on FF.N so I figure I might as well write some fan fiction to try and get one going. Alright there you have it. Now on with the story…_

Welcome Home, Foutley

            Ginger Foutley stared out the window of the bus and watched Avalanche Arts Academy become smaller and smaller and eventually disappear from her sight and her life. In way, she's miss it but she was glad her time there was over and she was going home to the people she cared about. 

            She closed her eyes and sighed, thinking about her eventful semester away from home. It had all been such a huge learning experience for her. While she had learned quite a bit about herself she learned even more about love, life and friendship. Most importantly, however, she learned that the best things in life aren't waiting to be discovered far away but are right in front of you-all you have to do is focus you vision. Ginger thought about Dodie and Macie, Courtney, Carl (yes, even Carl) and especially Darren…She smiled to herself as Darren's image played across her mind's eye and a warm content feeling washed over her as she leaned back and drifted off to sleep.

            When Ginger opened her eyes again the bus was pulling up in front of her house in Sheltered Shrubs. Yawning, she stood up and stretched before gathering her luggage. She muttered a few half-hearted good-byes and stepped off the bus, watching it as it disappeared down the street before turning to meet the entourage that awaited her. 

            All of Ginger's favorite people we assembled on her front lawn smiling and looking very eager to see her. Lois, looking proud as ever; Carl, hand in hand with Noel with a sly grin and Hoodsey by his side; Dodie and Macie, practically shaking with excitement like puppies who've been kept cooped up too long; and finally Darren, with the biggest smile of them all. 

            Ginger gave her mom a long hug as they exchanged "I missed you" and Lois said "I'm proud of you, Ginge'" 

            Carl smiled up at her and said, "Great to have you back, sis. Thanks for, uh, you-know what." He winked and Hoodsey and Noel nodded, grinning. Ginger barley had time to roll her eyes at the trio before she was practically tackled by Macie and Dodie. 

            Dodie began jabbering so fast Ginger couldn't understand a word she said. "Whoa, Dodie," Ginger said, holding back a laugh. "Slow down there, speed racer!"

            Dodie grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Ginger. It's just so great to have you back!"

            "It's great to see you guys too." She hugged Dodie and Macie, genuinely happy to see them. In the back of her mind she knew that no matter what happened this-her, Dodie and Macie-would always a constant in her life.  

            That just left….Darren. Their eyes locked and Ginger's heart started racing. She smiled, a bit shyly, and then just threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. He hugged her back just as tight and whispered, "I missed you so much, Ginger."

            When they ended their heartfelt embrace they looked around and noticed everyone else had gone inside leaving them alone in the yard.

            "Think they're trying to tell us something?" Darren asked with a grin. 

            Ginger giggled. "Maybe…"

            She looked up into his eyes before they both leaned in and shared another wonderful kiss. It was in that moment that Ginger realized she didn't have to look any further to find true happiness; she'd found her piece of heaven just being in Darren's arms and she never wanted to leave.

            Their kiss broke and Ginger said, a bit dazed, "How about we join everyone inside? I've got some much to tell you guys."

            "Sounds good."

            On the way inside, Ginger reached over shyly and slipped her hand into Darren's. He was a bit surprised at first but then gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and smiled at her, making her heart skip at beat. 

            They found their way to the living room where everyone had congregated and sat side by side on a sofa, still hand in hand. Dodie and Macie exchanged giggling glances at when the saw Ginger and Darren as Lois came in from the kitchen saying, "I just ordered pizza, it'll be here in no time. In the meantime, why don't you tell us all about Avalanche Arts Academy, Ginge." 

            Ginger thought for a moment and then launched into stories about the classes she had taken, the people she'd met and the elk. She looked around at her friends and family and ended with, "You know, as great as Avalanche seemed, it's nothing compared to being here with all you. It may have seemed like I belonged at Avalanche but I learned that even doing something you love isn't the same without the people you love around you. No amount of outdoor classes or elk could ever replace all of you in my life." 

            Everyone in the room looked as if they were about to reply to Ginger's sincere words but the doorbell beat them to it. Lois went to answer it and returned with a stack of pizzas. 

            As they all began devouring pizza, Ginger looked around again and smiled to herself. These were the people that really mattered and she knew she'd much rather be in average Sheltered Shrubs with them than anywhere else without them. She smiled again as she quickly grabbed the last slice of pepperoni pizza, just beating Carl.

            Later that night, after Dodie and Macie had gone home and Carl and company had retreated to the dog house, Darren and Ginger took up residence on the living room sofa. He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned against him and took in every detail about him-his scent, the feel of his shirt, the sound of his heart beating… Neither of them said anything not because they were unsure of what to say but because they didn't need to. They were content to just be with each other until they both dozed off.

            Lois noticed the pair curled up on the couch as she walked past the doorway on her way upstairs. She smiled and leaned against the doorframe. She couldn't have been prouder of her daughter. Ginger had learned quite a few important life lessons some people never learned and had come out stronger because of it. She'd shown herself to be someone very loyal and very unwilling to compromise the things that meant the most to her. And, Lois thought, she's even found true love. Lois knew. She could tell by the way they looked at each other, the way the seemed to just naturally fit together and the way there were both smiling in their sleep. Yup, Lois thought, Ginger's going to turn out just fine. Carl on the other hand…

A/n: Ah, fun stuff. Anyone think I should continue? It was supposed to be a one-shot deal but I think it has sequel potential. I have an idea for another Ginger story that will get done…er…maybe after I do the next chapters of "Harry Potter and the Alien Abduction" and "Karaoke: The Ultimate Unexplained Phenomena." So, just review, please. There's not much Ginger fan fiction out there so I'm eager to hear feedback.

~Mulder

"Do you have a picture of the spaceship?"

D/c: I don't own anything but the plot and the words used to tell it. 


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